Chapter 044 He Said He Was Looking for Jiang Xiaoqing

"I..." Jiang Yao's small face flushed a deep red in an instant. "I didn't know, I just guessed."
"Guessed?" He Yunqing repeated, drawing out the word with a hint of teasing mockery.
Jiang Yao immediately wanted to slap herself for speaking.
"No, I didn't guess. Why would I be so bored as to guess about these things..." The more she spoke, the more wrong it felt, cold sweat breaking out on her forehead. She dropped her gaze, secretly stealing a glance at He Yunqing from the corner of her eye.
The faint displeasure the man had shown earlier seemed to have completely vanished.
He lowered his eyes, calmly surveying her crimson cheeks, and the corners of his lips lifted in a subtle smile.
"So, may I leave now?" Seeing him smile, Jiang Yao ventured to ask.
He Yunqing gestured toward the door with a courteous wave of his hand.
Jiang Yao quickly bent down, hurriedly gathered the scattered items back into the box, clutched it to her chest, and made a flustered dash toward the window.
"Use the door," the man said softly.
"Oh." Jiang Yao spun around, lowered her head, and scurried toward the door in tiny steps.
In her haste, she ran straight into the doorframe, rubbing her aching forehead, but she didn’t look back and kept running.
The man watched her retreating figure, chuckled quietly, and settled leisurely into his chair, turning to gaze out the window.
Outside, the rain had stopped, revealing a sky blanketed with stars and the gentle glow of the moon...
For several days in a row, Jiang Yao deliberately avoided passing by He Yunqing's house.
For the time being, she had no desire to see him again—it was simply too embarrassing and humiliating.
That day, as quitting time approached, Jiang Yao showed no sign of packing up, still working at her computer.
Her colleague Xie Yan came in from outside, leaning against the desk as she chatted with someone else. "I just went to pick up a delivery, and on my way back a man stopped me. He asked if I worked for our wedding planning company—said he was looking for someone."
"Who was he looking for?"
Xie Yan tilted her head. "He said he was looking for Jiang Xiaoqing..."
Jiang Yao's fingers froze on the keyboard.
Jiang Xiaoqing—a name she hadn't used in a long time.
Very few people knew it, and among those who did, almost no one still called her that.
Unless...
"He must have gotten it wrong. No one by that name works here, right, Yao?" Xie Yan nudged her gently with her elbow.
Jiang Yao's smile stiffened, and she nodded absentmindedly.

Gathering her things, she walked outside.
Standing on the bustling street, Jiang Yao gazed at the endless stream of cars and people, suddenly feeling lost.
That person... Was he playing games again?
She lived in the light, he hid in the shadows—this could not go on.
"Yao!"
A large hand landed suddenly on her shoulder.
Startled, Jiang Yao turned around—to be greeted by Cheng Yanchi’s radiant, handsome smile.
He beamed at her. "What are you daydreaming about?"
Jiang Yao’s eyes fell on the fading bruise on his face. "Your injury hasn’t healed yet?"
Cheng Yanchi covered his face. "It’ll be fine soon. A hurt face is no big deal, as long as my hands are okay."
He waved his hands in front of her.
Cheng Yanchi had beautiful hands—fair and slender—and most importantly, they were the hands of a champion.
At twenty-six, life was still fresh and full of promise—for a professional esports player, however, it was already an age where every match could be the last.
That Cheng Yanchi could still maintain his form at this age spoke volumes about the effort and determination he had poured into it.
Jiang Yao knew this was true passion.
"You still haven’t told me—who did you get into a fight with last time?"
Cheng Yanchi waved it off. "Someone unpleasant—no need to talk about it."
"So... did you win?" Jiang Yao asked with a smile.
"Of course!" He grinned proudly, flashing a “seven” with his fingers. "He was laid up in the hospital for at least seven days."
Seeing his smugness, Jiang Yao patted him on the shoulder. "Try to stay out of fights, you overgrown kid."
He raised his eyebrows. "Actually, I need a favor from you tonight."
As he spoke, he pulled an invitation from his pocket. "There’s a jewelry exhibition this evening. My brother asked me to go in his place, and I need a date—will you come with me?"
Jiang Yao held the invitation up to the sunset. "You know I’m not good at these things. Why not ask Ye Yiyi?"
"If I talk to her for more than three sentences, we end up arguing," Cheng Yanchi shook his head. "I need a date, not a nemesis."
Thinking of how he and Ye Yiyi always argued, Jiang Yao couldn’t help laughing. "Alright."

The Lamborghini rolled to a stop outside the exhibition center.
Jiang Yao put on a simple touch of makeup in the car.
She didn’t usually like wearing makeup, only bothering with it for occasions like this.

As she got out, Cheng Yanchi’s eyes couldn’t help but linger on her face.
Her delicate features, enhanced by light makeup, gave her the look of a freshly-bloomed water lily. With the evening gown Cheng Yanchi had chosen for her, she appeared all the more graceful and captivating.
Amid the upper-class crowd, she didn’t seem out of place at all.
"Yao," Cheng Yanchi couldn’t help but admire, "you look stunning with makeup. Why don’t you wear it more often?"
Jiang Yao smiled softly. "Being able not to wear makeup is a blessing."
She had always believed that—not needing makeup was a blessing.
When she was very young, she’d watched her mother get beaten black and blue by that man, only to see her the next morning, brush in hand, carefully covering up the bruises.
Her mother’s skill was so good that she could hide every trace.
Later, Jiang Yao became the target of violence too.
Her mother began teaching her how to use makeup to hide the injuries. "Xiaoqing, never tell anyone outside, understand?"
She nodded, holding back tears, forced to wear her least favorite mask every single day.
Many praised her makeup skills, yet no one knew how she’d mastered them.
She loathed makeup.
Back then, her birthday wish, year after year, was simply to never have to wear it again...
"Yao." Cheng Yanchi’s gentle voice pulled her from her reverie as he offered his arm.
She returned to herself, slipped her hand into the crook of his elbow, and together they entered the ballroom...

As the second son of the Cheng family walked in, he wasn’t quite the center of attention, but he still drew many glances.
People came over to greet them.
Jiang Yao regretted coming—she was not comfortable in such settings.
Cheng Yanchi, for all his confidence, was even less adept; in the blink of an eye, he had already managed to offend several people.
Jiang Yao tugged discreetly at his cuff, whispering, "Hey, can’t you be a little more tactful?"
Cheng Yanchi frowned. "You call that not tactful? I haven’t even started."
Jiang Yao pressed a palm to her forehead, then glanced absently toward the crowd.
With just a single glance, she saw him—He Yunqing, his gaze cool and detached, turning back to look at her.
In the crowd, he was dazzling beyond compare...